The Battle for Sales: Five Reasons Showrooming Will Always Win

You ignore it and, therefore, do nothing. You may not realize it, but showrooming already has a direct impact on your bottom line. According toL2, 58 percent of smartphone owners regularly go to a store with the sole intention of trying on or testing products before buying them online. This means you can’t ignore e-commerce. People want to be able to buy from any channel, and they want a quality customer experience wherever and whenever they choose to stop. Did we mention they’re always keeping an eye out for that best deal, too?

Now that we're getting into the holiday shopping season (so hard to believe!), many retailers are preparing for the challenges showrooming will present, while others are trying to ignore the potential issue. Showrooming is basically when a consumer goes into a physical store location to check out a product, looks it up online from their mobile device, and then leaves the store with the intent to purchase online at a cheaper or discounted price. It's a big challenge for retailers who may not have an online presence, or aren't quite sure how to combat it. Henry Helgeson, CEO of Cayan, along with Alexandra Frith, director of marketing at Retail Pro International, have put together a list of tips for retailers to overcome the challenges of showrooming.